Java training and education has never been easy. Not only is the language and its third-party and community offerings constantly moving targets, each developer has his or her own preferences and habits. What's more, the "book knowledge" gained in many course settings can vary wildly from what happens in the "real world." To help make Java training and tools preferences configuration management more streamlined, automated and extensible, MyEclipse maker Genuitec developed Pulse. This podcast explores how Pulse and best practices around it use helps organize and automate tools configuration profiles for better ongoing Java training and education. To learn more about how Eclipse profiles can be organized and coordinated using Pulse, we we spoke with Michael Cote, an analyst with RedMonk; Ken Kousen, an independent technical trainer, president of Kousen IT, Inc., and adjunct professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and Todd Williams, vice president of technology at Genuitec. Our podcast is moderated by Dana Gardner, principal analyst at Interarbor Solutions. Sponsor: Genuitec. Read a full transcript of the discussion at: http://briefingsdirect.blogspot.com/2008/08/pulse-provides-novel-training-and-tools.html.

Borland Software has been in the developer productivity field for decades, but when it came time to build out a new software delivery management suite for application lifecycle management, Agile became both the means and the ends. The development process at Borland shifted dramatically to Agile and Scrum practices, which in turn deeply influenced how the new products were crafted and refined. To learn more about Agile Development and how Borland Software used the methods to build their own software management products and solutions, we spoke with Peter Morowski, the senior vice president of research and development at Borland. Our podcast is moderated by Dana Gardner, principal analyst at Interarbor Solutions. Sponsor: Borland Software. Read a full transcript of the discussion at: http://briefingsdirect.blogspot.com/2008/08/borlands-own-journey-to-agile.html.

In the past, data was secure and controlled. The bad news is that the data was limited by the firewall of personnel, technologies, and rigidity. Today, however, the demand is for just-in-time and inclusive data, moving away from a monolithic data systems to multiple sources of data on real-time activities, events, and inferences. The move is in the ownership of data to the people who really know it, create it, and can use it for business advantage. Analysis values rule. But how to jibe the best of the old with the needs of the new? To learn more about the quickly evolving data services landscape, we spoke with Paul Fremantle, the chief technology officer at WSO2; Brad Svee, the IT manager of development at Concur; and James Governor, a principal analyst and founder at RedMonk. Our podcast is moderated by Dana Gardner, principal analyst at Interarbor Solutions. Sponsor: WSO2. Read a full transcript of the discussion at: http://briefingsdirect.blogspot.com/2008/08/data-services-provide-catalyst-for-soa.html.

Defining the role of enterprise architects (EAs) in the context of services-oriented architecture (SOA) is more than an esoteric exercise. It helps also define the major shifts under way with SOA in enterprises and large organizations about how IT is managed. To help better understand the shifting requirements for personnel and leadership in EA and SOA, listen to this podcast discussion recorded at the 19th Annual Open Group Enterprise Architect's Practitioners Conference on July 22, 2008, in Chicago. We discuss the role and impact of skills and experience for EAs in both the public sector and the private sector. Our panel of experts and guests includes Tony Baer, senior analyst at Ovum; Eric Knorr, editor-in-chief of InfoWorld; Joe McKendrick, SOA blogger and IT industry analyst; Andras Szakal, the chief architect at IBM's Federal Software Group, and David Cotterill, head of innovation at the U.K. Government Department for Work and Pensions. Moderation is by Dana Gardner of Interarbor Solutions. Read a full transcript of the podcast: http://briefingsdirect.blogspot.com/2008/08/soa-demands-broader-skills-and.html. Sponsor: The Open Group.